I've only played DA:O, at this point, but the way I see it, Templars tread a very fine line. With their lyrium enhanced abilities that they become horribly addicted to, a rogue Templar could be a dangerous thing! I know Alistair claims that a Templar's abilities are only effective against mages, but unless I'm mistaken Holy Smite (arguably the most dangerous of the lot) affects anyone. A well armed army of massively devout, drug addicted borderline mages? Sounds like the Circle should be keeping an eye on them, not the other way round!

Uh, above person forgot to sign. A rogue Templar is tied down by his lyrium addiction, so in a sense, the Chantry already has a hold on them, I would say. Angry Tank (talk) 14:08, July 1, 2011 (UTC)

With regards to signing - sorry, this is the first time I've posted on here. As for the Chantry keeping control of the addicted Templars, anyone with access to a few sovereigns and a way of getting a message to Dust Town has a pretty easy way around that! They'll even deliver to your local, easily intimidated mage if you pay for shipping and handling! And what about the whole Holy Smite thing? Don't you think that ability, and its effects on the non-magical, makes a Templar basically a mage themself? User: Unbound 15:29, July 1, 2011

If you look at it from a functional base description of what it is to be a templar/what they do, then no they shouldn't hunt themselves because they are not born mages, even though they may indeed turn into pseduo mages from lyrium. If you add in the lyrium addiction, any templar that is getting it black market style will no doubt be consuming more than even the Chantry allows and speeds up the process of the lyrium making them all scrambled eggs in the brain. Also, if they're not getting enough they still go scrambled eggs in the brain if they've been addicted to long. I don't think a templar that addicted could fathom becoming a rogue of sorts, they'd be more concerned with where their next vial of lyrium is coming from. As for Holy Smite...if you're talking game mechanics kind of work it's not really that impressive. Proposed actual use of? Still not very effective. I see it as it basically pings everyone for magic and that's it. Mages get drained and pointed out as said mages, everyone else feels a little dizzy. Fractured Moonlight (talk) 15:32, July 1, 2011 (UTC)

It's because Holy Smite drains stamina and not magic. Having a blue (magic) or yellow (stamina) special ability bar makes all the difference apparently!--Serrah (talk) 23:42, July 1, 2011 (UTC)

The only reason Templars hunt mages is because demons are drawn to mages and will try to possess them, turning them into abominations. It's the possibility of an abomination being loose in the world that the Chantry is trying to prevent. But the magic of the Templars doesn't seem to attract demons in the same way - as far as I know, there is no more chance of a Templar being possessed than any other non-mage. Hence, no need to worry about what might happen with them. -Sophia (talk) 08:40, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

That's not entirely true, a bloodmage can forcefully turn people into abominations, even templars as it was seen in DA:2--Serrah (talk) 09:36, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

I'll take your word for it (I've only played DA:O), but... I'm not sure I see how that contradicts any of what I said. Is it that a templar could be forceably turned into an abomination by a blood mage, but an ordinary person couldn't be? -Sophia (talk) 09:54, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

Just another major flow of the blindly zealous chantry system. Lemonaidz (talk) 12:21, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

The problem with the Chantry controlled Circles and the Order of Templars is that it's prone to abuse against the mages because it's a religious order that sees mages as cursed, which was the problem with the mages living under this system in Dragon Age 2. You had three mages who came from the Circle of Starkhaven: Decimus, Quentin, and Grace. Decimus was so far gone from the Chantry controlled Circle that he couldn't distinquish Hawke from a templar, Quentin became a serial killer (as Gascard's note indicates he was searching for Quentin in the Starkhaven Circle), and Grace similarly lost her mind. Instead of helping mages, the Chantry controlled Circles seems to try to break them, where we hear Kirkwall mages talk about getting 30 lashes if they speak to a civilian, the proprietor says she will get lashed if Hawke steals her wares, Hawke can hear someone getting beaten from the gates near the proprietor, and the mages are suffering. The Chantry controlled Circles failed. In Kirkwall alone, the mages are getting raped, tortured, and killed under Meredith's reign as Knight-Commander. Lobsel Vith (talk) 14:20, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

Not really. Templar abilities aren't magic in a traditional sense, they only work against mages, even then they only drain them of mana and provide a level of magical resistances. I wouldn't think that many Templars go rogue, most seem to be devoted to the chantry and the ones who do want to leave are still hooked on Lyrium. Even if they can get Lyrium on the outside it's probably not of the same quality as they would get in the order. Andy the Black (talk) 14:30, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

As Andy the Black stated, templars' abilities aren't magical themselves, merely effective and resistant against and to magic. As for templars going rogue, there's already an organization in place to deal with such instances: The Seekers. King Cousland (talk) 16:49, July 2, 2011 (UTC)

Actually if one would be taught as a templar by another tamplar for example there could be loads of rogue templars as Allistair tells us in DA:O that the templars are given lyrium to make the abilities easier for them. He also mentions one could learn it without the use of lyrium (he is an example of that as he is not addicted to lyrium because the Grey Warden have taken him into their ranks before he was given lyrium).

Like Serrah (talk) 23:42, July 1, 2011 (UTC) said, Templars are more interested in attacking those few individuals with the ability to use mana and/or channel the magic of the fade. Templar abilities definitely interact with mages in an adverse way and so count as something at least quasi-magical (though Chantry lore denies this similarity). There's also the phylacteries (which even worldly people like Duncan don't know about) that if not blood magic (they're totally blood magic) definitely use blood as a (quasi-)magical component.

Holy smite seems to be in a category of its own, but it's also the apex Templar ability. It might not be common knowledge. It's even possible that holy smite comes out of Alistair's own deranged mind and isn't the result of the regular Templar training regimen.

Regardless, the Templars are the Chantry's private army. Their real "danger" is that they're a well funded and equipped group of fanatic, elite warriors. They're Qunari, but somehow more disciplined. They're berserkers, but somehow more fierce.WorstClassic (talk) 23:08, August 23, 2012 (UTC)

PS To those of you who are upset that I haven't listed a terrifying corps. of crack elven warriors in talking up the Templars, I pose you this question: What elven fighters even come close to those other two groups?WorstClassic (talk) 23:08, August 23, 2012 (UTC)

What about Templars that never drank lyrium, such as Alistair and possibly the Warden and other warriors in their group? The Chantry has no control over them. I don't think Templars need to hunt themselves though. Their magic isn't really a threat to anyone except mages, which the Templars are ordered to capture, guard, or kill. Believe it! (talk) 20:46, August 24, 2012 (UTC)